Virtual world - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A virtual world or massively multiplayer online world (MMOW) is a computer- based simulated environment[1] populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities and communicate with others.[2] These avatars can be textual, two or three- dimensional graphical representations, or live video avatars with auditory and touch sensations.[3][4] In general, virtual worlds allow for multiple users.[5]The user accesses a computer- simulated world which presents perceptual stimuli to the user, who in turn can manipulate elements of the modeled world and thus experience a degree of presence.[6] Such modeled worlds and their rules may draw from the reality or fantasy worlds. Example rules are gravity, topography, locomotion, real- time actions, and communication. Communication between users can range from text, graphical icons, visual gesture, sound, and rarely, forms using touch, voice command, and balance senses. Massively multiplayer online games depict a wide range of worlds, including those based on science fiction, the real world, super heroes, sports, horror, and historical milieus. The most common form of such games are fantasy worlds, whereas those based on the real world are relatively rare.[original research?][7] Most MMORPGs have real- time actions and communication. Players create a character who travels between buildings, towns, and worlds to carry out business or leisure activities. Communication is usually textual, but real- time voice communication is also possible. The form of communication used can substantially affect the experience of players in the game.[8]Virtual worlds are not limited to games but, depending on the degree of immediacy presented, can encompass computer conferencing and text based chatrooms. Sometimes, emoticons or 'smilies' are available to show feeling or facial expression. It's always fun to create a virtual anime character, with their distinctive big eyes and big hairstyles in bright colors! Maybe this character is the main star in a. Emoticons often have a keyboard shortcut.[9]Edward Castronova is an economist who has argued that "synthetic worlds" is a better term for these cyberspaces, but this term has not been widely adopted. History[edit]The concept of virtual worlds significantly predates computers. The Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, expressed an interest in perceptual illusion.[1. In the twentieth century, the cinematographer Morton Heilig explored the creation of the Sensorama, a theatre experience designed to stimulate the senses of the audience—vision, sound, balance, smell, even touch (via wind)- -and so draw them more effectively into the productions[1. Among the earliest virtual worlds implemented by computers were virtual reality simulators, such as the work of Ivan Sutherland. Such devices are characterized by bulky headsets and other types of sensory input simulation.
Contemporary virtual worlds, in particular the multi- user online environments, emerged mostly independently of this research, fueled instead by the gaming industry but drawing on similar inspiration.[1. While classic sensory- imitating virtual reality relies on tricking the perceptual system into experiencing an immersive environment, virtual worlds typically rely on mentally and emotionally engaging content which gives rise to an immersive experience. Maze War was the first networked, 3. D multi- user first person shooter game. Maze introduced the concept of online players in 1. It was played on ARPANET, or Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, a precursor to the Internet funded by the United States Department of Defense for use in university and research laboratories. The initial game could only be played on an Imlac, as it was specifically designed for this type of computer. The first virtual worlds presented on the Internet were communities and chat rooms, some of which evolved into MUDs and MUSHes. The first MUD, known as MUD1, was released in 1. The acronym originally stood for Multi- User Dungeon, but later also came to mean Multi- User Dimension and Multi- User Domain. A MUD is a virtual world with many players interacting in real time.[1. The early versions were text- based, offering only limited graphical representation and often using a Command Line Interface. Users interact in role- playing or competitive games by typing commands and can read or view descriptions of the world and other players. Such early worlds began the MUD heritage that eventually led to massively multiplayer online role- playing games, more commonly known as MMORPGs, a genre of role- playing games in which a large number of players interact within a virtual world. Some prototype virtual worlds were Worlds. Away, a two- dimensional chat environment where users designed their own avatars; Dreamscape, an interactive community featuring a virtual world by Compu. Virtual Knee Replacement Surgery is a science game for students (kids) in high school and early college and patients and their caregivers to take on the role of a. Second Life official website. Second Life is a free 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create using free voice and text chat. Serve; Cityspace, an educational networking and 3. D computer graphics project for children; and The Palace, a 2- dimensional community driven virtual world. However, credit for the first online virtual world usually goes to Habitat, developed in 1. Lucas. Film Games for the Commodore 6. Quantum Link service (the precursor to America Online).[1. In 1. 99. 6, the city of Helsinki, Finland with Helsinki Telephone Company (since Elisa Group) launched what was called the first online virtual 3. D depiction intended to map an entire city. The Virtual Helsinki project was eventually renamed Helsinki Arena 2. D.[1. 7]In 1. 99. Whyville. net the first virtual world specifically for children [1. Shortly after, in 2. Habbo launched and grew to become one of the most popular and longest running virtual worlds with millions of users around the world.[2. Virtual world concepts[edit]Definitions for a "virtual world" include: a "synchronous, persistent network of people, represented as avatars, facilitated by networked computers", by Mark W. Bell in 2. 00. 8[5]"an automated, shared, persistent environment with and through which people can interact in real time by means of a virtual self", by Richard Bartle in 2. A persistent, simulated and immersive environment, facilitated by networked computers, providing multiple users with avatars and communication tools with which to act and interact in- world and in real- time.", by Carina Girvan in 2. There is no generally accepted definition of virtual world, but they do require that the world be persistent; in other words, the world must continue to exist even after a user exits the world, and user- made changes to the world should be preserved.[2. While the interaction with other participants is done in real- time, time consistency is not always maintained in online virtual worlds. For example, Ever. Quest time passes faster than real- time despite using the same calendar and time units to present game time. As virtual world is a general term, the virtual environment supports varying degrees of play and gaming. Some uses of the term include. Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) games in which a large number of players interact within a virtual world. The concept of MMO has spread to other game types such as sports, real- time strategy and others. The persistence criterion is the only criterion that separates virtual worlds from video games,[5] meaning that some MMO versions of RTS and FPS games resemble virtual worlds; Destiny is a video game that is such a pseudo virtual world. Emerging concepts include basing the terrain of such games on real satellite photos, such as those available through the Google Maps API or through a simple virtual geocaching of "easter eggs" on Wiki. Mapia or similar mash- ups, where permitted; these concepts are virtual worlds making use of mixed reality. Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) designed for collaborative work in a virtual environment. Massively multiplayer online real- life games (MMORLGs), also called virtual social worlds,[2. Economy[edit]A virtual economy is the emergent property of the interaction between participants in a virtual world. While the designers have a great deal of control over the economy by the encoded mechanics of trade, it is nonetheless the actions of players that define the economic conditions of a virtual world. The economy arises as a result of the choices that players make under the scarcity of real and virtual resources such as time or currency.[2][1. Participants have a limited time in the virtual world, as in the real world, which they must divide between task such as collecting resources, practicing trade skills, or engaging in less productive fun play. The choices they make in their interaction with the virtual world, along with the mechanics of trade and wealth acquisition, dictate the relative values of items in the economy. The economy in virtual worlds is typically driven by in- game needs such as equipment, food, or trade goods. Virtual economies like that of Second Life, however, are almost entirely player- produced with very little link to in- game needs. While the relevance of virtual world economics to physical world economics has been questioned, it has been shown the users of virtual worlds respond to economic stimuli (such as the law of supply and demand) in the same way that people do in the physical world.[2. In fact, there are often very direct corollaries between physical world economic decisions and virtual world economic decisions, such as the decision by prisoners of war in World War II to adopt cigarettes as currency and the adoption of Stones of Jordan as currency in Diablo II.[2. The value of objects in a virtual economy is usually linked to their usefulness and the difficulty of obtaining them. The investment of real world resources (time, membership fees, etc.) in acquisition of wealth in a virtual economy may contribute to the real world value of virtual objects.[1. This real world value is made obvious by the trade of virtual items on online market sites like e. Bay, Player. Up, IGE for wow gold.[2.
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